History of Kabbalah

[TheJedi]

I have no idea why, but this single statement has been a real light bulb moment.

Thanks Sephir.

<~~~~~~now just got to find out what it is meant to be illuminating...

Namaste

It certainly does make sense. Our earthly languages were designed strictly for describing and communicating earthly precepts, so it only follows that to describe "higher" forces a "higher" language would have to be developed. Naturally, our "lower" language forms have no words to describe that which it cannot comprehend.

It blows my mind, after spending years learning about kabbalistic symbolism in regards to the tarot, that it really has nothing to do with true Kabbalah teachings at all.

This is, indeed, a very illuminating thread. Thanks to all who have participated.

[Chaldean Shaper]

My understanding is that Kabbalah is both :
1) a precise science describing in detail the forces governing the world we perceive through 5 senses.
2) an exact method of development an additional sense allowing us to clearly perceive and investigate those forces in scientific way.

Kabbalah has nothing to do with philosophy, religion, God and spirituality whatsoever. It's just a science, like physics. Kabbalists say : what cannot be attained, cannot be named - it means, that all the upper mechanisms and dynamics governing the physical world have been revealed in scietific way using an additional sense. I realize how ridiculous it sounds, but it's truth - kabbalists investigate the upper forces using additional sense of percetion, as physicists investigate the forces of physical world using physical senses.

Thank you for being so thorough and for sharing. The thing about the sixth sense affirms some of my own ideas and former statements. Your perspective is unique and valuable.

Who wrote Esoteric Psychology may've consulted kabbalists, among other types of scientists. Do you, sir, know any practicing kabbalists who publish their findings, like modern alchemists? How do you opine spiritual science? Do you approve?

[sephir]

Do you, sir, know any practicing kabbalists who publish their findings, like modern alchemists?

As a matter of fact, Kabbalah, as a science, has been entirely formed in Moses' days. Further development of Kabbalah consisted merely in its methodology adaptation, so that it meets current generation requirements (egoism level), but nothing new has been revealed by now. It's hard to imagine, but ancient kabbalists revealed all the spiritual roots that human being is able to reveal, so there is nothing new to attain. Hence, there is no difference between ancient kabbalistic writings and modern works (obviously, I mean genuine writings only) except the way kabbalists write their books.

As there are 5 levels of ego development, there are also 5 periods in Kabbalah development. They were 5 great Kabbalists in each period that adapted language of Kabbalah to their times, hence there are 5 "languages" that the books have been written in. The last language is purely scientific - it has been developed by Yehuda Ashlag (known as Bhaal ha Sulam), to adjust Kabbalah to these days. His works are uniquely valuable for today's generation, and represent Kabbalah in its last form of development.

How do you opine spiritual science? Do you approve?

Sorry, I don't really know what you mean by spiritual science. Could you clear it up?

best wishes

[Chaldean Shaper]

As a matter of fact, Kabbalah, as a science, has been entirely formed in Moses' days. Further development of Kabbalah consisted merely in its methodology adaptation, so that it meets current generation requirements (egoism level), but nothing new has been revealed by now. It's hard to imagine, but ancient kabbalists revealed all the spiritual roots that human being is able to reveal, so there is nothing new to attain. Hence, there is no difference between ancient kabbalistic writings and modern works (obviously, I mean genuine writings only) except the way kabbalists write their books.

As there are 5 levels of ego development, there are also 5 periods in Kabbalah development. They were 5 great Kabbalists in each period that adapted language of Kabbalah to their times, hence there are 5 "languages" that the books have been written in. The last language is purely scientific - it has been developed by Yehuda Ashlag (known as Bhaal ha Sulam), to adjust Kabbalah to these days. His works are uniquely valuable for today's generation, and represent Kabbalah in its last form of development.




Sorry, I don't really know what you mean by spiritual science. Could you clear it up?

best wishes

Your findings are metaphysical, right? What about Anthroposophy? Steiner has these ideas about Goethian Science, which is science that has not been desouled. Steiner talks about events in the astral plane as though they were historical happenings, that are reported by other mystics, or spiritual scientists. His vision may involve grasping the workings of yet discovered planes, as of the understanding of the happenings upon ain, or ain-soph, I'd suppose.

Also, more advanced teachings tend to regard enlightenment attainment as a science, not just haphazard or an attitude. The books I've browsed on Kaballa usually give it an equivocal usage, where it stands for the layers of existance and emanation, while also dubbing for system of what-are-like Chakras, but that's likely new-age mish-mash, but what I'm saying is, it corresponds to the microcosm and the macrocosm respectively and analogously. How is Kabbala applied, especially as a science as you propose it is? I've read books that teach one can correlate physical events to otherplanar ones.

[sephir]

I got your point. I realize how ridiculous it might sound, but Kabbalah is, in fact, the root of all sciences. Let me clarify why I say so. It's because all sciences we know explore reality basing on its manifestation. For instance, a physicist can explain in detail how the gravitation works. He would support his explanation with complex formulas coming from experiments, nevertheless, he wouldn't be able to tell you why it works like this. "Why" is a question that cannot be answered in scientific way, when it comes to physical perception.

However, Kabbalah doesn't delve into manifestation of matter at all - it develops an additional sense of perception, which is not connected to ego, thus it exists regardless of the body. Kabbalists start their attainments from the highest level of "causes", and gradually come down to the boarder (machsom), dividing reality into causes and their manifestations. Obviously, thus Kabbalist can understand every occurrence in our world, but it's kind of side-effect of studying Kabbalah. This is why Kabbalah is a truly universal system, though many might think it's impossible.

Kabbalah, alike other science, is based on collection of data through observation, experimentation, as well as empirical reproducibility of experimentation, hence predictability. This is why it's called CHochmat ha Kabbalah (Science of Reception)There is only one difference between Kabbalah and other sciences : you have to develop another sense of perception to become a "scientist" in Kabbalah. Ordinary science doesn't require you to change yourself. This is why for those who didn't acquire that additional sense, Kabbalah remains a sort of philosophy, that cannot be considered a science. However, for kabbalists it is as precise science as physics. BTW, this is why, nowadays Kabbalah is a subject of interest of quantum physicists (such as Fred Alan Wolf, PhD, William Tiller, PhD, Jeffrey Satinover...).

As for Esoteric knowledge - I, as a kabbalist - cannot consider it to be spiritual whatsoever. In my view, Esoteric knowledge pertains to physical world only, and its manifestations. Obviously, there are lots of phenomena that we cannot explain in scientific way yet, but they are surely included in physical world. Personally, I find Esoteric teachings to be very interesting, as they perfectly fill the gap in Kabbalah (it says nothing about physical world), thus creating a complete picture of (still subjective) reality.

[Chaldean Shaper]

Do you, then, make empirical observations about higher realms? Would you, then, be observing forces? Do you regard the Tree of knowledge and the tree of life as cosmological models?

[sephir]

Do you, then, make empirical observations about higher realms?

It depends on what you understand by higher realms. If you mean certain inner qualities, then yes, this is what kabbalists do.

Do you regard the Tree of knowledge and the tree of life as cosmological models?

Kabbalah doesn't refer directly to Cosmology, as it doesn't refer to the physical world at all, but obviously, knowing the spiritual roots of matter, you can understand each physical aspect, including Cosmology.

All the best

[Chaldean Shaper]

It depends on what you understand by higher realms. If you mean certain inner qualities, then yes, this is what kabbalists do.



Kabbalah doesn't refer directly to Cosmology, as it doesn't refer to the physical world at all, but obviously, knowing the spiritual roots of matter, you can understand each physical aspect, including Cosmology.

All the best

Very Good. Yes, and vice-versa, studying cosmology gives insight into the way of things. Interesting. I may've absorbed my ideas on Kaballah from writing related to gnosticism. They had some interesting beliefs and an extremely interesting culture- talk about alternative. Also, Manly P. Hall had some ideas on it, but it's probably not the science you know, just simple correspondences, usually to simpler systems that people know.

So you said Kabballah originated in Babylon 5000 years ago. Does that make it pagan rather than Jewish? I know Babylon accomplished many things that we like to ascribe to Greece and Egypt.

[Chaldean Shaper]

It depends on what you understand by higher realms. If you mean certain inner qualities, then yes, this is what kabbalists do.



All the best

I didn't really. I wondered if you believed in parallel (simultaneous)plains, like if certain sepiroth were representational of qualities existing on other planes. Is kabballah embracing everything as it is, or seeing what is as a result of the interplay of various forces? Of course, plains are not actually above us, as by being in the sky, or beneath us, as they depict hell is. They are more beyond us. You see the qualities and beyond, or, the qualities that are beyond, you mystically apprehend immediately (and the physical qualities you comprehend secondarily, or resultantly, like maybe as if you saw things as if they were emanating from the source)?

Ain, Ain-soph and this kind of thing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ein_sof.png are very interesting to me. I love gnostic diagrams of ain-soph, and the hierarchies, with hell and heaven, and purgatory, and demi purgatory and all that.

[sephir]

I didn't really. I wondered if you believed in parallel (simultaneous)plains, like if certain sepiroth were representational of qualities existing on other planes. Is kabballah embracing everything as it is, or seeing what is as a result of the interplay of various forces? Of course, plains are not actually above us, as by being in the sky, or beneath us, as they depict hell is. They are more beyond us. You see the qualities and beyond, or, the qualities that are beyond, you mystically apprehend immediately (and the physical qualities you comprehend secondarily, or resultantly, like maybe as if you saw things as if they were emanating from the source)?

These questions have been answered in this and that topic.

So you said Kabballah originated in Babylon 5000 years ago. Does that make it pagan rather than Jewish?

Neither pagan (it has nothing to do with belief whatsoever), nor Jewish (as it appeared before Jewish people). More info has been posted here.

Regards